01 July 2014

Healthy Soup Stock

In the interests of zero waste, there's a step you can add to your vegetable scraps before they go into the compost bin. When I'm preparing veggies for dinner (topping, tailing, peeling) or when my young children decide they will simply die if they touch "that" vegetable on their plate, I keep the scraps in a big bag in the freezer. I use nearly everything - celery leaves, broccoli stems, potato skins (if clean!), left-over veggies not suited to reheating, and even the not-so-nice veggies occasionally found at the bottom of the fridge. They all go into a freezer bag or two. When I get enough saved up, I put all the frozen scraps, plus some garlic, salt and pepper into a big pot. Cover it with water, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Turn on your exhaust fan or open a window - it can get a bit "fragrant". Then drain and strain the stock through a colander or strainer. Transfer the clear liquid into freezer containers and presto - you have fresh, wholesome vegetable stock for free. Only then does the leftover veggie pulp go into the compost bin. No bit of veggies gets wasted. You can also do this with chicken bones, meat bones, seafood shells and so-on. Keeping the scraps in the freezer until you save enough to make the stock means you get to make use of every bit of what you've paid for.Contributed by Margaret Ornsby

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This is my record of the daily challenges the Armstrong family faces as we live life the Cheapskates way - debt free, cashed up and laughing - and try to stay that way.

Here I talk about the little things I do that save us a lot of money and the bigger things that may only save a small amount. I share the things that work for us and the things that don't. I say it as I see it, so if I try something and think it's a dud, I'll tell you. And if I try something and it works, I'll share it with you.

You'll get an insight into a very frugal family living a very comfortable 21st Century lifestyle and I hope it encourages and inspires you as you make your journey to living life the Cheapskates way.